Thursday, July 27, 2006

Stop Negative Thinking I found this article very helpful. I have a strong tendency to think negatively about myself if I slip up. What I like about this article is that it doesn't try to delve into the deep psychological meaning of my negative thinking pattern, but rather offers a practical solution to changing that pattern.

The article Kristen linked too has really made me think about what I really think about myself and the reasons I workout and eat right. I'm constantly telling myself that I need to get healthy, but that isn't the complete truth. I am healthy. I don't have any medical or health issues. My body runs efficiently and is capable of doing whatever I tell it too. The truth is I want to lose weight, but weight and health are not the same. Yes, being over weight can lead to health conditions that might otherwise be avoided, but I don't have those conditions now. My point is that by telling myself I need to get healthy, I am not telling myself how healthy I am. I am not giving myself credit for all that I am able to do and all the good choices I make. I'm dwindling my entire self down to what the scale says. If the scale is high, I am not a healthy person. I've been telling myself over the past few days that I am healthy and it's given me even more determination to do the things that healthy people do. I want to workout and eat right because I am telling myself that I am one of the people who does that sort of thing.

Society squeezes people into categories based on looks. Being labeled unhealthy because I am overweight is as silly as labeling a skinny person healthy just because they are skinny. It's important for me to remind myself that while someone may see me and label me as one thing, that does not define me. I am a healthy person who makes good choices 90% of the time.

3 comments:

Kristen said...

Wow, you are so right, Sandra. Everything you said. You can't let other people define you. And you've gotta give yourself credit for the good things you do.

aola said...

I tell Mark all the time "I have the healthiest fat you will ever see"

Big smile

Sandra said...

Aola, that is a great line!!
Thanks Kristen!